The efforts started by a Church of God member in 1999 to
benefit orphans in Vietnam are bearing fruit.

Dennis Koselke, a United Church of God member who used
to live in Ellensburg, Wash., near Seattle, founded SEACAP (Southeast Asian
Children's Assistance Project) after a visit--as a Vietnam War military
veteran--in 1998. (See The Journal, Oct. 25, 1999.)

Mr. Koselke served in the U.S. Navy Seabees, a construction
battalion, in what was then the Republic of South Vietnam during 1968-1972
(in the midst of the Vietnam War). Many years later he revisited Vietnam
and perceived the need for an organization to help some of the thousands
of orphans there.

"During that initial return visit, I saw a great need
for helping orphaned, disabled and disadvantaged kids," Mr. Koselke
told The Journal recently.

He subsequently made five trips to Vietnam. The last journey
ended with his return to the United States in April 2001.

Mr. Koselke supported himself during his most-recent visit
by teaching English in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.

"I got to the point where I had to come back and work
full time in the United States to replenish my dwindling resources,"
he said. "I also was quickly becoming a stranger to my grown son and
daughter and growing grandsons."

SEACAP, Mr. Koselke's Vietnam project, is moving along
"at a steady pace," he said. "We change projects slightly
as needed: a little tweaking and adjusting here and there to meet the greatest
needs and get the most out of each dollar of contributions."

Former Buddhist

SEACAP currently includes several projects:

The Sao Mai project, about an hour and a half northeast
of Ho Chi Minh City in the countryside.

"I first visited this project more than two years
ago and was very much impressed by it," Mr. Koselke said. "A former
[Buddhist] monk--he decided that getting married and having a family was
a more-balanced and happy life for him--and teacher, Mr. Chau, started this
project for castaway kids" (children who are separated from their families
or who have no families).

The castaways included children severely disabled, mentally
or physically or both. They were "given up to the street life,"
Mr. Koselke said.

The average age of the children is about 15, with ages
ranging from about 6 to late teens.

"He [Mr. Chau] always refers to them as 'my children'
when he talks about them," Mr. Koselke said. "When I first met
him, I was struck by his warm smile and bright, shining eyes alive with
concern for the kids and his deep voice."

Mr. Koselke said the former monk teaches the children to
be as self-reliant as possible.

"They also have a special-ed [special-education] teacher
almost daily to provide schooling for the kids."

Providing instructors

Another project, which has gone on for more than two
years, involves providing special-education teachers for a vocational school
in the central-coast city of Quy Nhon.

A woman who established a vocational establishment nine
years ago has helped hundreds of severely handicapped young people learn
means of making a living and having a chance at a dignified life, Mr. Koselke
said.

"They otherwise would be begging and literally crawling
on the streets; many cannot walk," Mr. Koselke said.

More about this project is at SEACAP's Web site: www.seacap.org.

Babies with AIDS

The third project among the continuing ones involves
providing caretakers for babies and other young children who were infected
with HIV or AIDS through a parent.

"Several are orphans; some have just one sick parent,"
Mr. Koselke told The Journal. "They were in a public institution that
was vastly understaffed. The kids were in great need of caregivers to hold
them, love them and provide basic care--also to take them out to the park
or to play and have a little fun."

A way to help

Mr. Koselke says about six diehard supporters of SEACAP
keep the projects going.

"We all have our full-time jobs and all the demands
of busy lives, but, with God's help and some kindhearted contributors, we
keep on going and helping where we can.

"I hear over and over from people involved in this
that it truly is better to give than to receive. We quietly give of our
time and limited resources, and it seems like the oil and meal never run
out for the sake of the little ones that we have been privileged to serve."

Contributions from U.S. citizens to SEACAP are tax-deductible.

For information on how to contribute, visit the SEACAP
Web site at www.seacap.org.